The Beloved (pbuh) and being grateful

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate All Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be on the Messenger of Allah

Whenever we complain about things in life, a small voice in our head should tell us “be grateful!” Many times though, we push that voice out; afterall, our problems are huge to us, they affect us directly and are personal to us. The issue is however, that we fail to see the bigger picture. Allah (swt) teaches us to be grateful. He says: “Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, And be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me.” [Surat Al-Baqara, 2:152]

Aisha (ra) said that the Prophet entered upon her one day and saw a small piece of bread on the floor, so he picked it up and wiped it, then told her:

“O Aisha, treat the blessings of Allah with respect, for when it departs from a household it may never come back to them” (Abi ad-Dunya)

Every good is a blessing from Allah, and we must really teach ourselves to appreciate them. I was reading an article about a woman who said she became so thankful to God for the baths she was able to give her little baby, after seeing a newborn baby from Kosovo become ill because they had no water to wash him straight after he was born. Can we even imagine?

Allah says: “And if you were to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to count them. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful” Qur’an (Surat An-Nahl, 14: 34)

If we were to take out five minutes from our day to use them to count the blessings that we have, those 5minutes would not suffice, because of their sheer number. Moreover, if we appreciate the little things, we learn to being content. We are also able to see the magnanimity of the greater things when they come to us. The Prophet (pbuh) has also said: “The one who does not give thanks for a small blessing will not give thanks for a great blessing, and the one who does not give thanks to people will not give thanks to Allah” (Abi ad-Dunya)

This is true- if we do not appreciate the seemingly small things and thank Allah for them, will we really do so when a great blessing comes? If we truly contemplate over what we have, as opposed to what we don’t have, we would view our lives in a new light. This should, as opposed to make us complacent, instill in us that we have SO MUCH and therefore, we can do so much as well, with the Grace of Allah. And surely Allah says “If you are grateful, I will certainly give you increase…” (Surat Ibrahim, 14:7)

One could say, as long as we remind ourselves, it should be easy to be grateful when things are going good. But what about when we are tested? It’s hard to think of positives when you are tested! This is, of course, why they are called tests. But the Prophet (pbuh) admonished us, “Look at those people who have less than you and never look at those who have more grants than you, this will ensure that you will not depreciate Allah’s favors” (Muslim).

Even when we are being tested, surely, things could be worse. We only need to see the state of people around the world, and in our own communities. In the Qur’an, Allah says: “For truly, with hardship comes ease; truly, with hardship comes ease.”(94: 6) With hardship comes ease. While we are concentrating on the terrible thing that has befallen us, what blessings are we ignoring? Perhaps we failed in our exams, but our family is being supportive. Umar (ra) said that when a calamity befell him, he would thank Allah for four things: that the calamity was not in his religion, that it was not bigger than it was, that he would be rewarded with Paradise if he was patient, and that it reminded him of his biggest calamity, which was losing the Prophet (pbuh).

Sometimes sadness is to get closer to Allah, because He is the only one who removes grief. If we show patience, we are rewarded. Always remember that “…Allah brings about ease after difficulty” (Surat At-Talaq, 65:7)

On the other side of the coin, it is important to remember that when we become ungrateful, we are listening to the whisperings of Iblis. In the Qur’an, Allah has told us that Iblis said, “Then I will certainly come to them from before them and from behind them, and from the right-hand side and from the left-hand side, and You (Allah) shall not find most of them thankful.” [7:17]

So what should we do to ensure that we are thankful?

– Reflect on the blessings, big and small: Sulayman, a follower of the Prophet’s Companions, once said: “Remembering His blessings makes one love Allah.”

– Thank for them. The Prophet (pbuh) taught us: “Allah is pleased with His servant if, when he eats something he thanks Allah for it, and when he drinks something he thanks Allah for it” (Muslim).

– Prostrate (fall into sajda) when you receive a blessing from Allah: The Beloved (pbuh) used to prostrate to Allah whenever he received something pleasant or was told good news to thank Allah for the grace he had received.

– Do good for others: The Prophet (pbuh) said, “People are dependents of Allah; the closest to Him are those who are most useful to His dependants” (Muslim).

– Finally, we must remember that the biggest blessing, and one we should constantly be grateful for, is our Islam, and say: